*Not the actual Overton Window* 
Today I’d like to take a look at another important political concept: The Overton Window. This concept is instrumental in understanding the current state of American politics.
The American Political Spectrum
Before we can really get into The Overton Window, it’s first necessary to explain the current state of the American political spectrum.
Consider the above image. During the 1970s, the spectrum is what you’d expect a normal political spectrum to look like: Democrats on the Left, Republicans on the Right, with a “no-man’s land” in the middle representing Centrism. Nothing special.
But as the years go by, a curious thing seems to be happening. The Democrats are moving further and further to the right, and the Republicans have completely left the chart.
Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. The 2012 line represents the current American political spectrum. And The Overton Window explains why.
We’re taught in school and led to believe that the Republican party is the party of the wealthy and corporations and the Democratic party is the party of everybody else; working class, middle class, poor, etc.
This is half true. As the image above illustrates, over the years the Democratic party has also become the party of the wealthy and corporations. The only difference is that every now and then the Democrats will throw out a social issue such as being pro-same sex marriage. But when it comes to things like the economy, or war, they have moved to where the Republican party used to be. And the Republicans? Well, as seen on the image, they’ve gone completely mental.
Don’t believe me? Look at the immigration crisis. The Republican party’s base has always been racist and bigoted. But never before have they been so blatant about it. Because outright saying that children don’t need soap or toothbrushes was not an acceptable stance to have. But now? A few weeks ago a GOP representative was making that exact argument. Through careful media manipulation (see my posts on Manufacturing Consent for more on that), The Overton Window made it possible.
The Overton Window
So, great, you’re saying to yourself. You keep mentioning this thing. Can you please finally explain it? Sure. Let’s dive in.
In brief, The Overton Window refers to the range of topics or issues that are deemed “acceptable” to discuss in politics. The issues that fall “in the window” are decided by the general political state of the country. In this way, you could also say that The Overton Window is the “pulse” of the country.
Refer back to the spectrum image. Now, picture a window (you can imagine the one at the top of this article if you like) over the line. As the mood of the country shifts, the window will slide back and forth on the line, sometimes landing more to the left, other times more to the right.
This can sound complicated, but it’s actually fairly simple. I’ll use the current healthcare debate as an example.
Right now, every Democratic candidate supports (whether genuinely or just to try to get elected) some version of a universal healthcare system. Healthcare is the primary issue for the 2020 election in the minds of most Americans. And, most Americans want a single-payer system. This is confirmed in various polls, such as this one.
Now, contrast this with the state of the issue back in 2008, shortly after Barack Obama took office. This article from The Guardian puts it nicely:
“It is difficult to overstate how far single-payer has recently moved. Consider, for a moment, where things stood after Democrats took the presidency and both houses of Congress in 2008. “The White House and Democratic leaders have made clear,” the Washington Post reported the following year, “there is no chance that Congress will adopt a single-payer approach … because it is too radical a change.””
So what happened? Why has universal healthcare gone from “too radical” to the most important issue for most people? The simple answer is that the Overton Window on healthcare shifted to the left. The reason it did this is manifold, involving the Affordable Care Act, Trump’s election, & the recent progressive take-over of the Democratic party. Basically, the political climate shifted, making universal healthcare acceptable to discuss and fight for.
In years past, the window was firmly over on the right, and any notion of free healthcare was off the table. Now, however, the mood has dragged the window to the left and the discussion has become “how can we implement universal healthcare” instead of “should we”.
This is why the efforts of the people are so important. In our lifetime, we’ve seen the Overton Window shift so far to the right that candidates like Bernie Sanders are constantly painted as being “crazy” and “radical leftists”. But the fact of the matter is that in any other developed country, Bernie Sanders’ ideas are strictly Centrist concepts. They’re so obvious that no one questions them.
Fortunately, going into the 2020 elections, The Overton Window is starting to shift back to the left. Real progressives are starting to oust the establishment incumbents in Congress. I’m hopeful that within our lifetimes we can see our political spectrum shift back so it’s in-line with the rest of the world’s again. That we can live in a country where no one bats an eye at the idea that people should have free healthcare. Where we look back at the predatory insurance companies and go “what the fuck were we thinking?”
Join me in making that country a reality. Donate to a progressive campaign if you can afford it. Even a dollar makes a difference. Make phone calls. Knock on doors. Spread awareness. And above all else, vote. Make your voice heard.
It’s the only weapon we have.